Peppermint Crunch

Stir the cookie crumbs and the crushed candy together. With a fork, mix in the melted margarine, then stir in the cereal.

2.

Press the mixture into a greased 9″ x 13″ (23 cm x 33 cm) pan.

3.

Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 12–15 minutes. Let the candy cool before breaking it into small pieces. Store in an uncovered container.

Christmas Tree Pizzas

By Julie Wardell

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/4 sticks margarine, softened

3 tablespoons sugar + 1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cold water

1 green apple, cored

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 red candied cherries

red colored sugar

1.

Blend the flour and the margarine together in a large bowl. With clean hands, mix in the three tablespoons of sugar and the salt. Add the water, and mix with your hands.

2.

Sprinkle a little flour on a clean surface, then knead the dough on it for five minutes, adding more flour to the surface as needed.

3.

Divide the dough into four equal sections. Flour a rolling pin, then roll out a piece of dough to a circle 1/4″ (.6 cm) thick. Place a bowl 5 1/2″ (14 cm) in diameter upside down on the dough circle and cut around it with a table knife. Remove the bowl, carefully lift the dough circle with a spatula, and place it on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.

4.

Cut the apple in half, then cut each half into 8 slices.

5.

Mix the cinnamon and the 1 tablespoon of sugar together in a medium-size bowl. Stir the apple slices in the mixture until coated.

6.

Arrange four apple slices on each “pizza crust” to look like a tree (see illustration).

7.

Bake at 400° F (205° C) for 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

8.

Sprinkle colored sugar on the trees, then place a cherry on top of each tree. Serve hot or cold.

Super Scooper Ball Game

By Clare Mishica

To make this gift, you will need: hot water; 2 two-liter pop bottles; scissors; decorative stickers, or wrapping paper and glue; and aluminum foil.

1.

Fill the empty pop bottles with hot water. Let stand for five minutes, then pour out the water and peel off the labels.

2.

Cut off the bottom of the pop bottles. Cut a U shape out of one side of each bottle, then round off the edges (see illustration).

3.

Decorate the scoopers with stickers; or cut out small shapes from the wrapping paper, and glue them in place.

4.

Crumple a large piece of aluminum foil into a ball.

5.

To play, toss the ball up and try to catch it in the super scooper. One or two people can play this game.

Peppermint Parfait

To make this gift, you will need: a parfait glass or a clear drinking glass, 1 pound (.5 kg) wrapped peppermint candies, a Styrofoam ball 4″ (10 cm) in diameter, a table knife, a white bow, straight pins, glue, and a small red pom-pom.

1.

Fill the parfait glass with the candy.

2.

Cut the Styrofoam ball in half. (You will only need one half.) Press it, flat side down, on top of the parfait glass, then remove. Cut a narrow groove in the Styrofoam where the glass rim is marked.

3.

Pin the bow on the rounded top of the Styrofoam, then pin three rows of candy around it (see illustration). Glue the pom-pom on top of the bow for a cherry. Fit the decorated Styrofoam back onto the parfait glass, gluing it there if desired.

Living Christmas Tree

Note: Make this gift about a week before it is to be given.

To make a tree, you will need: a green sponge; scissors; water; a shallow, disposable dish, a pie tin, or plastic draining tray; and grass or alfalfa seeds.

1.

Cut the sponge into a simple Christmas tree shape.

2.

Soak the sponge in water and place it on the dish.

3.

Sprinkle the seeds evenly over the sponge.

4.

Set the dish in a sunny area of your home. Watch carefully and add water as needed to keep the sponge moist.

Quilted Greeting Card

By Karen Sweeny-Justice

To make a card, you will need: a piece of plain construction paper, a pencil, scissors, a glue stick or glue, fabric, embroidery floss and needle, and a pen.

1.

Fold the paper in half, and then in half again to make a card.

2.

Draw a simple shape (star, snowman, tree, house, or ornament) on the front panel. Unfold the card, then, starting in the middle of the shape, cut it out.

3.

Cut a piece of fabric large enough to amply cover the cutout shape on the card.

4.

Turn the unfolded card to the wrong side and lightly glue around the edges of the cutout. Place the fabric over the shape, making sure the right side of the fabric faces down, and press flat with your hand.

5.

Glue all around the bottom half of the paper, then refold and press the card together.

6.

Thread the needle with three strands of embroidery floss, and knot the end. Starting from the inside of the card, bring the needle through to the front and stitch a 1/4″ (.6 cm) seam around the cutout (see illustration).

7.

Write a Christmas greeting inside.

Jolly Santa

By Julie Wardell

To make a Santa, you will need: a pencil; scissors; red, black, and white paper; glue; a small cardboard tube; a ruler; clear tape; cotton balls; and string (optional).

1.

Draw and cut out two red pant legs, 2 black boots, a white face, two red sleeves, two white mittens, and a red hat (see illustrations).

2.

Glue one end of each pant leg to the outside of the cardboard tube near the bottom (see illustration). Glue the boots, toes pointed out, to the bottom of the pant legs.

3.

Cut a piece of red paper to cover the cardboard tube, and glue it in place.

4.

Glue the face 2 1/2″ (6 cm) from the bottom of the tube, directly above the legs.

5.

Fold each sleeve in half, then glue a half of each sleeve to the sides of the tube 1/2″ (1 cm) from the top. Glue the mittens in place.

6.

Cut a narrow piece of white paper for the bottom-of-the-hat trim, then glue in place. Glue the straight ends of the hat together. Tape the hat to the top of the tube.

7.

Cut out two round eyes from black paper, and glue on the face. Glue on cotton balls for the beard, and a piece of one for the mustache. Also glue a cotton ball to the top of the hat.

8.

Sit the Santa on the edge of a shelf, or attach a piece of string to his hat for a tree decoration.

String of Holly

By Sharon Addy

To make holly, you will need: green and red paper, a pencil, scissors, a hole punch, and glue.

1.

Cut a long strip of green paper 2″ (5 cm) wide. (Or you can make the holly as wide as you want it.)

2.

Fold one end of the strip to make a square. Fold the rest of the strip back and forth under the square (see illustration). Make sure each folded section is the same size as the first one.

3.

In the top right-hand corner of the folded square, draw a holly leaf, making the top right and bottom left corners of the paper the points of the leaf (see illustration).

4.

Keeping the paper folded, cut out the holly leaf, then unfold your String of Holly.

5.

Punch or cut out holly berries from red paper. Glue the berries to the tops of the holly leaves where two of them come together (see illustration). Hang the String of Holly on a tree or above a doorway, or use it on a package or a card.